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.I. W. GRANT.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 26. 1915.

1 9 1 95,985 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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JACOB W. GRANT, OF HANLIN STATION, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed May 26, 1915. Serial No. 30,591.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB W. GRANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanlin Station, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fire-escape and the principal object of the invention is to provide a fire-escape which is so constructed that it may be connected with the roof of a building and be vertically adjusted, the carriage being slidably mounted so that when the tackle of the escape has been adjusted to raise the carriage to the desired height, the carriage may be moved across the building from one window to another.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of support for the carriage. This support being formed of cable and thus permits the fire-escape to be used with a building of any width.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire-escape which when connected with a building may be operated from the ground.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a view in an elevation showing the fireescape in place; Fig. 2 1s a section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1 to show the carriage in end elevation.

The carriage 10 is provided with a handle 11 with which the bearings 12 of the rollers 13 are connected. These rollers 13 are mounted upon the intermediate portions of the cable 14 between the pulley wheels 15 so that the carriage may be moved along the cable from one window to another. After passing around the pulley wheels 15 which are carried by the supporting blocks 16, the cable is passed around the upper pulleys 17 which are suspended from the roof by means of the hooks 18 and is then brought downwardly past the pulley wheels 19 and wrapped about the drums 20 and 20. After being wrapped about the drums 20 and 20', the ends 21 and 22 of the cable 14 are carried upwardly and connected with the blocks 16. This cable is wrapped about the drums in opposite directions and therefore in order to operate the fire-escape to adjust the same vertically, the handle 23 of the drum 20 must be turned in an opposite direction to the handle 24 by the drum 20.

The operation of this fire-escape is as follows: When in use, the drum supports 25 and 26 are placed upon the ground in front of the building and the hooks 18 are connected with the roof. By turning the handles 23 and 24 in the proper direction, the cable may be wound or unwound upon the drums thus raising or lowering the blocks 16 according to the direction in which the handles are turned. After the blocks have been moved to the desired positions, so that they will be at about the same height, the apparatus is ready for use. People may get into the carriage 10 from one window and the carriage can then be moved along the intermediate section of the cable to another window which is at about the same height as the first window. After the carriage is filled, the handles are turned to unwind the cable and permit the carriage to move toward the ground. As soon as the carriage has been emptied, the cable is again wound upon the drums and the carriage raised to the desired height so that other persons can be. rescued. This apparatus can be left in place if desired or can be kept in a convenient place or carried about upon the ladder truck of the fire-fighting apparatus.

It should also be noted that this device could be very conveniently used by painters, a suitable platform being substituted for the carriage so that the painters would have a flat platform upon which to rest their cans of paint. The painters could then raise the apparatus to the desired height and could move a carriage along the cable so that when once the hooks 18 are in place, it would not be necessary to shift the scaffolding transversely along the building in order to paint from one side to the other.

I have therefore provided a convenient portable fire-escape or scaffold which is so constructed that it may be vertically adjusted and which is also so constructed that the carriage may be moved transversely of the building.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising pulley blocks, inner and outer rollers carried by said pulley blocks, suspending means, pulleys carried by said suspending means, rotatably mounted drums, a cable extending between said pulley block and passed around the inner rollers carried thereby and being then carried upwardly around the pulleys carried by said suspending means and having its end portions carried downwardly in engagement with the outer rollers of said pulley blocks and being then wound upon said drums with its end portions connected with said pulley blocks whereby said pulley blocks may be raised and lowered by rotating said drums, and a carriage slidably mounted upon said cable between said pulley blocks.

2. A cable, a carrying member slidably mounted upon said cable, suspending means, pulleys carried by said suspending means and engaging said cable, pulley blocks slidably mounted upon said cable upon the inner and outer flights thereof, and rotatably mounted drums, the end portions of said cable being wound upon said drums and being then connected with said pulley blocks.

JACOB 7. GRANT. WVitnesses:

A. M. MOORE, ALICE J. CHRIs'rY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. G. 

